A&S appoints Laura Machia as Honors interim director, plans ‘comprehensive review’
Syracuse University appointed Laura Machia as interim director of the Renée Crown Honors Program, per an announcement from the College of Arts and Sciences. This semester, the program is set to undergo a university review aimed at strengthening its curriculum. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo
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Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences appointed an interim director for the Renée Crown University Honors Program, who will lead a “comprehensive review” of the program and its curriculum, SU announced Friday.
Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew launched a university working group last spring to enhance the honors program. SU appointed Laura Machia, current associate dean for academic initiatives as the new director. The program’s last director, Danielle Smith, the honors program shared with its students in a July email.
The working group will focus on strengthening the honors program curriculum, rethinking the thesis requirement for students in professional schools, proposing a clearer governance structure and recommending ways to increase faculty involvement.
Associate Provost Elisa Dekaney and Vice Provost Jamie Winders co-chair the group. It also includes faculty representatives from nearly every college.
Machia will lead the program’s administration, oversee advising and faculty coordination and manage the program’s curriculum.
CAS Dean Behzad Mortazavi praised her leadership, saying her experience as associate dean will ensure programs are “high-functioning and strategically aligned with college and University priorities,” the release states.
Machia is a psychology professor and researcher in social psychology with a focus on the study of close relationships. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s in social psychology from Purdue University and a dual bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
A final report on the honors program will be submitted by the working group to the provost at the end of the semester.
